People across Europe are being urged to give up plastic during the 40 days of Lent.

It follows a remarkable 6 months of newspaper headlines and prominent TV shows all rounding on the plastic pollution problem, especially at sea. Last month, the EU launched a plastic strategy that takes aim at throw-away plastic and excessive packaging.

Those taking on the Lent plastic challenge will be asked to share their experiences and tips, tagging social media posts with their national hashtag. Lent will be split into weekly themes, such as upcycling, cosmetics, waste prevention and shopping.

Carsten Wachholz Products Policy Officer for the EEB said:

“The oil industry is spending huge sums trying to lock us into a plastic future. PlastikFasten is a great way for people to push back and signal that they’ve had enough. We are not saying all plastic is bad and it will always have a useful role. But we are drowning in the stuff and the tide is rising. We can and should stop using most throw away plastics tomorrow and take a hard look at the amount of plastic packaging being produced, which is out of control.”

Industry is investing $180 billion on plants that could raise production by around 40%, if completed.

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Meta is the news channel of the European Environmental Bureau (EEB). The EEB is Europe’s largest network of environmental citizens’ organisations. We bring together around 140 civil society organisations from more than 30 European countries. We stand for sustainable development, environmental justice & participatory democracy.